Disney Wonder

Spring break comes early in Texas and even earlier for us! We picked up the kids from school mid-day to whisk them away on a magical vacation. They were so excited just to be in the airport that an hour-long flight delay did not hinder their enthusiasm. After all, they are experienced travelers.

First stop: Legoland California, 40 minutes north of San Diego.

The hotel we stayed at, West Inn Suites, was affiliated with Legoland offering ticket deals, complimentary shuttle to the park, free breakfast and freshly baked cookies with cold milk at bedtime. It was also located two blocks away from a beach, so mama enjoyed a couple of oceanside morning runs.

Legoland was tons of fun! The weather was perfect. The lines were fairly short. The app was pretty accurate estimating ride wait times. The park is designed for kids under 12 so both boys participated in a variety of activities.

On the second day, Noah won a Pokemon stuffed toy – Squirtle at a carnival game. Squirtle, which apparently is highly recognized across all age groups, got tons of compliments as it accompanied us everywhere for the next week.

After two days of roller-coastering and Lego building came the main event, our 5 night Disney Cruise to Baja Mexico.

The itinerary was perfectly spaced out with two stops:

1. Cabo San Lucas is a coastal resort city with a beautiful beach and shallow water.

We had to take a tender boat to get ashore and a 2.5mile walk along the pier to get to the beach, but all the commuting was worth the four hours of fun playing in the sand.

2. Ensenada is a port town located 70 miles south of San Diego.

We took an excursion to feed lemurs at an animal sanctuary and to see a blowhole shooting 40 feet of water every 15-20 seconds. Apparently there are only three blowhole wonders in the world: one in Hawaii, which we saw a few years ago, this one in Ensenada, and one in Australia (which is now on our bucket list). There were numerous vendor stands on the walk to the blowhole offering free churro and Pina-Colada samples. We also tasted the best tacos made with amazing tortillas.

The two “sea days” on the ship were a blast! Disney Wonder is a sister ship to Disney Magic we took last year, so it felt welcoming and familiar. The ship layouts are the same, with only one restaurant themed differently. The West Coast, however, is way more environmentally conscious. I appreciate compostable utensils and recycling bins everywhere, but asking for straws and paper napkins for little kids seems a bit overboard (and no lids for juice cups?!)

Nate was old enough and tall enough this time to join his brother on the water slide and at the Kids club. He had mixed feelings about both. It was a little chilly for the water slide and water got into his nose.

As for the Kids club, even though it was full of amazing activities like Marvel superhero sightings, marshmallow tower building, Pluto’s pj dance party, arts and crafts, etc., he preferred the company of good old boring mom and dad. It took significant coercing and bribing to get Nate to go in. On the last day as we were handing back the kids club bracelets, Nate informed us that he “actually loves Kids Club!” Go figure! Noah loved the Kids Club, asking to go as soon as he’d wake up. He was a big fan of all the activities especially Disney video games.

We skipped the Pirate’s party this time around (it started past our bedtime and last time the kids did not care for the fireworks anyways). Instead we got to enjoy two Disney shows: Frozen (I finally know the storyline #boymom) and Disney Dreams, a collection of famous Disney songs from various movies. The shows were impeccably executed at Broadway caliber, and kept even Noah mesmerized. We also watched two movies: Ralph Breaks the Internet (hilarious) and Captain Marvel (date time for mom and dad).

With all the activities, our time on the cruise flew by, but we had one more stop planned before heading home: San Diego Zoo. Cruise terminal, airport and the zoo each being 4 miles apart and numerous cab and Uber options made for hassle-free transportation. The zoo even offers luggage storage for a reasonable fee.

Eric and I first visited San Diego Zoo almost 10 years ago but it was way more fun with two little monkeys of our own. Also this time the weather was cooler so the animals were happier and more active.

All the exhibits were on display for the exception of the rhinoceroses that were temporarily at the zoo’s “Safari” satellite location.

Live animals were super cool but statues to climb on and sticks to collect were even cooler! 😉

After a long day and even a longer trip back (flight delayed yet again), we finally arrived home at 2am. The boys were little troupers, and luckily we had a few days of Spring Break left to adjust to the time difference and our home routine before heading back to school. Austin greeted us with beautiful spring weather and blooming Blue Bonnets. Only 8 weeks until school is done!